If you're looking for a well polished, highly customizable dungeon crawler, then you've found it. Etrian Odyssey has always been a refined love letter to the tabletop & 8-bit dungeon crawler yet ATLUS has managed to refine the classes further, improve already spectacular dungeon design, and most importantly: make combat feel even more strategic rather than formulaic. For newcomers who might be wary of a game whose sole purpose is gameplay over story; this is the definitive first step you should take into this little appreciated world. You will not get better this out there. For newcomers who love the genre, but haven't played Etrian Odyssey, I recommend Etrian Odyssey IV because I think it will be too hard to go back after the refinements of V. And for series regulars: this is the final game, as far as we are aware. And it is, in my opinion, the best game in the series. I'm sad that this is the end but couldn't be happier that ATLUS really cared enough to give us their best.

Ok, I picked this game up at my BB when it was open at the first minute. Can't wait to play it. If you know who ATLUS is, or you have played previous ones, you already know whether this game is yours or not. Classic RPG elements, like classes, skills and UI and its gameplay friendly hooked me up for hours. The launch edition is worth the price, the amazing OST will be playing in my car for a while.

Fans of the series will enjoy this entry. The core gameplay remains the same but many quality of life changes make the game smoother and more immersive. Newcomers may find the game difficult at first, but learning from your mistakes is critical to overcoming the challenges the game presents.

Listen to my words, if you have any interest in this series, you are doing yourself a disservice not picking up this title. I'd even go as a far to call it quintessential. Now if you haven't dipped your toes into the vast Etrian ocean, don't be afraid to start here either. The game is very much an RPG of old, where you are solely in control of your path and progression of the story. You start by making a team of adventurers from a wide arrange of races and classes, you name them, grow attach to them and send them out to the labyrinth. But beware! Exploring is not for the faint of heart. Within the labyrinth you are in charge of charting your own course through the winding expanses, each and every turn and mystery are solely up to you to document. Live or die by your map!

Etrian Odyssey 5 represents somewhat of a return to the core game play of the Etrian Series. Gone is the overworld of 3 and 4 in favor a straight series of dungeon floors. At the same time it expands on the customizability of your party to an extent beyond that of previous games. You'll eventually unlock the ability to use any combination or race, class, and portrait for a truly flexible party building system. Fans of the series will find a lot to like about 5 and those unsure should definitely check out the free demo on the eShop which allows you explore the first few floors of the dungeon and then carry you progress into the main game.